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Sparks Are Flying

20th Century Fox sent me a movie called Ruby Sparks the other day. I watched it.

I was skeptical at first, because I hadn’t heard of the main characters, but Antonio Banderas, Annette Bening, Maeby from Arrested Development, and that hot little redhead from True Blood were in it, so it had to be at least watchable, right?

Paul Dano (source: IMDB)

As soon as it started, I recognized the main dude. He was that freaky preacher in There Will Be Blood. I guess I know to associate the name Paul Dano with that face from now on. I know I looked him up after I watched TWBB, because he actually played a set of twins, and I was checking to see if it was two guys that did it. I thought DDL should have killed him right from the start, but I guess you kind of need the antagonist for the whole thing. That was a great movie if you are ever looking for a fantastic character study about intensely driven people.

In this movie, he played Calvin, a “genius” (he hates that word) novelist, that just can’t write. He’s a very quirky character, with some serious issues, but the guy does a great job with it. He has a hard time with people, and an even harder time with love. Well, until he gets to make up the rules that is. When he writes a character based on an artist he meets in the park while walking his dog, Scotty, he never dreams that he she would become a living breathing person in the form of Zoe Kazan.

Zoe Kazan *drool*

Yes, that Zoe Kazan. I’m just kidding, I’ve never heard of her before, but she is lovely, isn’t she? Her performance was flawless, in my opinion. She played every role perfectly, and with really great emotion. I was surprised to find out that she was not only starring, but had written the movie herself. That’s pretty amazing, I think. I’m always in awe of people that can think of a thing, and then make it come to be. I’m kind of the opposite, where I have all of these ideas, but lack the drive, or the self-confidence to make anything actually happen. Well, except for this blog, obviously, but if it would write itself, I’d surely let it.

I, of course, had to look her up, and found that she has many past, current, and future projects in film and television. This does not surprise me at all, because really, how could you not want her in your films? Unless she is a horrible, raging diva, I would think that she would be a winning addition to any project.

So anyhow, back to the actual movie. The psychiatrist (Elliot Gould), and the parents (Antonio Banderas and Annette Bening) were absolutely great. Mostly Paul’s parents though. They are just wonderful in the fact that nothing fazes them. They are like the people you love to meet, because they are so different than anyone you know. Well, usually they are. You may live in a commune in coastal Oregon or something, in which case, you probably know them.

In short, I don’t think everyone will like this movie, but if you have a good imagination, love interesting, quirky characters, and a very clever story, you will really enjoy this flick. The writer part of me is jealous of it, with it’s uniqueness and all of that. The movie lover just likes all of it.

Go check it out. Unless you get angry when nothing gets blown up, or no one shows you their titties.

I’ve been travelin’ for some time, with my fishin pole and my bottle of shine,

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3 thoughts on “Sparks Are Flying”

I specifically DID NOT read this post until after I had seen the movie.

So, it wasn’t what I thought it would be. Based on what my boss told me, I kind of thought it would just be a lighthearted romantic comedy, so I was surprised by the depth of it. While the flaws in the characters made some parts a little painful to watch, they also made the characters a lot more believable. I thought the story was great, the movie well executed, and I really liked it.